TSA Union to Celebrate Philadelphia Workers

Sept. 23, 2010
TSA Union to Celebrate Philadelphia Workers at Thursday Event

TSA Union to Celebrate Philadelphia Workers at Thursday Event

PR Newswire

Local labor activists to show support for AFGE and its TSA members

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees, the union for Transportation Security Officers (TSO) in Philadelphia and across the country, will show its gratitude for the TSA workforce with a Solidarity Stand Thursday, Sept. 23 at Philadelphia International Airport.

"In gratitude of their hard work and commitment to protecting this nation, AFGE would publicly like to say 'thank you' to every TSO, and in particular, those in Philadelphia," AFGE 3rd District National Vice President Keith Hill said. "TSOs are currently without even basic workplace protections, and it's long past due that they are given the respect they deserve."

"It is essential that TSOs are afforded the same rights to negotiate over important workplace issues, due process, whistleblower protections, veterans' preference, appropriate salaries, fair pay increases, and leave policies as other federal workers—including other Department of Homeland Security employees, including those working for the Border Patrol, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Coast Guard, Federal Protective Service, FEMA, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement—all of whom are represented by AFGE," AFGE National President John Gage said.

AFGE's Solidarity Stand will be attended by AFGE leaders and activists, as well as members of the AFL-CIO Philadelphia Council.

TSOs in Philadelphia are members of AFGE Local 333. AFGE is the only union to represent TSOs since the agency's inception, and currently has more than 12,000 dues-paying members in 38 AFGE TSA Locals across the country.

AFGE earlier this year filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority for exclusive union representation at TSA, and renewed its call for immediate passage of H.R. 1881, which would be a permanent, legal solution to the matter of collective bargaining rights at TSA.

WHO:

AFGE Local 333

WHAT:

Will hold solidarity stand in support of collective bargaining rights at TSA

WHERE:

Philadelphia International Airport, Terminal A-West

WHEN:

Thursday, Sept. 23; 3-4 p.m.



.

AFGE is the largest federal employee union representing 600,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia, including tens of thousands of DHS employees in Border Patrol, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FEMA, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Federal Protective Service, Office of Immigration Statistics and TSA.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees